If the entire fruit were to be bought up for mechanical extraction of pericarp oil as well as kernels, the carrying labour would be still further enhanced, and the work of the oil-manufacturing communities would resolve itself into three operations—viz. climbing trees, chopping out fruit, and transporting—which would mean the exclusion from work of all but the strong adults, or the reduction of workers by 30 to 50 per cent. perhaps. The number of skilled palm-tree climbers is said to be decreasing in many districts, and, owing to the sparsity of the population in some localities, a very large proportion of the annual yield of fruit remains unharvested. The investigation of the several varieties of the oil palm of the country is in progress at the Imperial Institute, and the characters of the most important are now well known, and may be compared here with the varieties from the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Northern Nigeria. The typical form, which, although subject to some variation, possesses certain marked characteristics, may be said to fall under the following general description: Fruiting heads generally large. Fruit large, orange to scarlet in colour, with a variable amount of purplish black suffusion at the apex, which may extend over more than half of the fruit or may be altogether absent. Pericarp thin, kernel large with a thick shell. Names: “Ope yope” or “Ope pankora” (Yoruba), “Ok-poruk-pu” (Ibo), “Udin” (Beni), “Ak-porro-jub” (Efik), “Irök-Eyop” (Ibibio), “Abe pa” and perhaps “Abe dam” (Fanti, Gold Coast), “Tug bore” (Mendi, Sierra Leone), “Tabel-tiloli” (Timani, Sierra Leone), “Tengo” (Mandingo, Gambia), “Kabe-kalako” (Jolah, Gambia), “Neul” (Joloff, Gambia), “Qua-qua” (Haussa, N. Nigeria), “Yi-ku-niche” (Nupe, N. Nigeria). Only the typical form has as yet been observed in Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Northern Nigeria. The other particularly important variety is that commonly referred to as the “_soft-shelled_” or “_thin-shelled_” palm fruit, which has been recorded from many localities in West Africa. The following description will include the forms contained in this group: Fruiting heads often large. Fruits large or small, generally the latter, dark coloured. Pericarp thick, kernel rather small, with a thin shell. Names: “Ope-Arunfo” (Yoruba), “Au-su-ku” (Ibo), “Ivioronmila” (Beni), “Asoge-e-jub” (Efik), “Eduege Eyop” (Ibibio), “Abe-bobe” (Fanti, Gold Coast). The third kind is that frequently called the “_Fetish_” or “_King_” palm nut. It is rare wherever it occurs, and is scarcely worth consideration from an economic standpoint. The tree which bears this fruit has been described under the distinct specific name of _Elæis Thompsoni_, Chevalier.